Wizard or Demon?
by Linnay
Summary: AU.ONESHOT.SEQUEL.DARK/HARRY. Now part of the Nura Clan, one wizard will have to prove his loyalty, as well as realize being a demon might not be as bad as he thinks it is.


**Disclaimers**: I do not own any of the characters or elements of Harry Potter and Nurarihyon no Mago. They all belong to their respective owners and I make no profit whatsoever from this story outside of my own enjoyment of writing it.

**Summary: **Now part of the Nura Clan, one wizard will have to prove his loyalty to those that doubt him, and his skills.

**Pairings: **Rikuo/Yokai-Rikuo+Harry (In the sense of beginning to become really good friends, and being protected respectively.)

**Warnings: Sequel. AU **for Harry Potter (most was explained in the first oneshot.) **Dark but good willed-Harry**. **AU** for Nurarihyon no Mago after episode 9. This story is based on the books of HP and the anime of NnM.

**Japanese names** will be written in their original form, meaning surname before given name. On that note, **spoken Japanese** by the characters will be written normally ("Spoken Japanese.") and **English** will be seen in cursive style ("_Spoken English._"). As an extra note, **thoughts** are written like this ('_Thoughts for both Japanese and English_.'), make sure you don't mix them up or it'll cause you some confusion.

**Author's Note: **As you can see, I did decide to write a sequel to my last story and my first Nurarihyon no Mago and Harry Potter crossover. Seeing how it ended, it felt appropriate to do so, so here it is. I'm a bit iffy concerning the title, I'm not completely pleased with it, at all, but I couldn't think of a better one that would properly link up with the first story. If you have any suggestions, then please enlighten me!

Wizard or Demon?

* * *

"_If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."_

Sirius Black - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

* * *

The house was silent now. The noises of celebration had died down and turned into peaceful slumbering, but in his room it was quiet, almost peaceful which he didn't quite know what to make of. It had been a good while since he last had experienced the feeling of a full stomach, being warm and not too cold or too hot with fever, but most of all; the knowledge that he no longer had to run. He'd been on guard the first few days, believing that they would soon realize what a mistake they had made by inviting him into the clan. He'd accepted the invitation against his better judgment, on the sole basis that the boy, or was it yokai, somehow had caused a strange sensation of protectiveness. The strange thing though, it was not him feeling protective of the boy. It was him, he who felt protected, for the first time in his life.

It was such an alien feeling that he'd been in a daze most of the time since after his awakening from his fainting spell from the exhaustion days before. He'd become somewhat of a fascination amongst the smaller population of yokais, demons his mind supplied, and an irritation, eye sore, amongst the older and more traditional yokais. The only group that he felt comfortable enough to be around with was the group that always swarmed around the young master, Rikuo. Although the girl, Yuki-Onna, seemed to have something against him as she only addressed him when ordered or forced to do so. The others had been easier to approach, or rather they had approached him and he'd just let them since they belonged to the clan and were close to Rikuo. Though it was hard to be constantly reminded of his past whenever he saw or spoke shortly with the neck less and blond yokai, Kubinashi. His thoughts would always stray to a specific ghost that had become a friend, however strange the thought of having a ghost as a friend was, and he would give a small nostalgic smile that confused the yokai but the question as to the origin of this reaction was never voiced.

He was a strange and uncommon, in some cases unwelcome, prescence in their midst. First of all, he was not a yokai, not a demon according to their standards, even though he would argue that he felt very much like one and his actions in his past would be enough to make him one either way.

It was a starless sky tonight, another night gone past without him being found by the ministry's Aurors. He didn't dare believe it yet, but this was the longest time he'd not been found, ever, since he started to run and maybe, just maybe, they'd lost his trail.

In the beginning Rikuo had tried to persuade him to throw away his old clothing for new ones but he'd completely refused the attempts. He didn't believe he was able to let go of his past, one of the physical evidences of what he had been through. As much bad memories they brought upon him they also made him remember the warm smiles of his dead family and friends. They were too precious to him to just throw away and replace with something new, something bereft of any memories in them. He could connect each tear and loose thread to an old memory, being able to withdraw the emotions he'd felt at the time when the tear was made and the people he'd been with at the time. So no, he would not throw his clothes away, no matter how dirty, or smelly according to the snow yokai, they were. Only his boots he removed and put them in a corner of the guestroom he'd been given, out of respect for their customs.

It was the sound of the sliding door that alerted him to the arrival of another person, or demon, in the room. He didn't bother turning his head to see who it was since most of the times it would be Rikuo (he had not seen the demon part of the boy since the first meeting) or the almost scantily clad female yokai that always delivered his meals and fetched the half empty bowls after he was done. Since dinner had already been served he figured it must be Rikuo making his second of his two daily visits to the older boy's room, one in the morning before the boy left for school with Yuki-Onna and Aotabo and another before or after he'd had dinner and made his homework.

The soft padding of feet drew closer to his position where he sat with his back against the left sliding door, his knees bent and arms resting upon them. In the corner of his eye he could see the small stature of the boy come to a halt beside him, looking up at the same starless sky that he'd been for the last few hours. The boy sat down but didn't say anything for another ten minutes or so.

"There are no stars tonight." The boy said quietly, thoughtfully, and his brown eyes turned sideways to look at the raven haired boy beside him. Urging the boy to speak with his kind and silent demeanor.

However emerald eyes kept their focus on the arched blackness above, as if the boy's words had not been heard.

Rikuo sighed at his lack of response and he felt a sting of guilt for shutting the boy out like this. It wasn't his intention though; he just didn't know what to say. No, that was a lie; he didn't want to say anything, because of fear that he would spill the awful history of his past to the boy. It would disgust the boy that he'd taken so many lives. He'd come to the conclusion pretty fast that while the demon part of Rikuo had taken part of most of his memories, the human part of the boy he'd met first wasn't aware of them at all besides knowing that his past had been a bad one. The boy had let it been known that it was only recently that he'd started to become more aware of what his demon side did while it came forth but this time it was all cloudy, immersed in fog, and he was only able to remember certain emotions. Hence Rikuo's tries to get the boy to talk to him, wanting to know what happened to the boy to make him like this, to help him.

"Hari…" The brown haired boy said tiredly, he still hadn't gotten the pronunciation of his name right. "You need to talk to me. Keeping things bottled up like this is not good for you, or your health."

When he still got no answer he abandoned his attempts for now and went back to gazing up at the sky, perhaps trying to find a lone star hidden in the black canvas.

Harry sneaked a glance at the smaller boy when the other's attention was elsewhere. He couldn't help a small frown, his eyebrows drawing closer as he watched the boy and tried to figure out why in the name of Merlin he would want to know about his horrible past when he was better left in the unknown about it. What good would it do him except for disgusting him and pushing him away from Harry. Rikuo was the first person that had talked to him like he was a normal person since his school days when his friends were still alive. The first person since many months that he'd come into contact with that wasn't a part of the wizarding world and that wanted him thrown into prison, or even dead.

It must have been more than an hour, an hour of repeated silence, before Rikuo stood up, bidding him a good night's sleep and leaving the room. Harry closed his eyes with a sad and guilty sigh after the doors had slid shut.

He had become a coward.

After that night many things took place, or so Harry suspected from what he was able to catch ear wise from the hallways where the many yokai's that sprinted around the mansion called out, frantically looking for their leader. Apparently, from what he was able to hear, the Supreme Commander had gone missing after an outing from which he had never come home from. Harry barely saw Rikuo during the next days; the boy had become so busy with the absence of his grandfather, shouldering the duties of the leader he'd been told by the yokai who brought him dinner when he asked, that he did not have time to make his daily visits to the older boy anymore. Harry realized that finding their leader suddenly gone was reason enough for panic and hysteria, and so he commended Rikuo for the calm the other seemed to exude, though he must have been very worried. The fact that Harry felt slightly annoyed (he refused to admit he was lonely) with not being able to see the boy was affecting him more than he cared to acknowledge. Somehow he had still gradually grown closer to the boy despite his attempts to shut the other out. He blamed the boy's too friendly and innocent nature.

His thought filled daze was abruptly interrupted then by shrill screams coming from the garden. All of a sudden yokais was moving around hurriedly all around, steps thudding in the hallways outside the room and on the pathways outside heading in the direction of the garden. He rose to his feet from his resting on the futon, put on his dragon hide boots before going and then opening the sliding door leading into the garden. His gaze caught side of a flying shape against the large moon that rose in an arch before diving into the mansion with a loud crash. Noise of glass breaking caused him to turn inside again and went for the doors going into the main house. The resounding crashes of the being as it tore through the building echoed sharply in the late evening as he raced through the hallway, chasing it, not minding the cowering smaller yokais lining the corridor, frightened at what was happening. At the end of the hallway he managed to see the black and dark brown shape of a wolf's head wisp past in front of him where the corridors met in an intersection. In the next the light went out and the frightened cries of the lesser demons grew. He was momentarily surprised when Rikuo came bursting after the unfamiliar yokai, an enemy most probably, with Yuki-Onna and Aotabo close on his heels. Sparing not more than a fleeting moment he jumped into action and ran after the three, shoving the lesser surprise of seeing Rikuo in a similar kimono that he had first seen the demon part of the boy wearing to the back of his mind.

The chase led them through the mansion corridors and soon into the main entrance and out onto the cobbled pathway through the large gate. Arriving just a fraction of a moment later than the three, the raven haired boy was able to see a group of unfamiliar yokai standing in line just bit way ahead of their group. He noticed Kubinashi, Kurotabo and many other yokais, among them the scantily clad yokai that brought him dinner, joining them soon after. Three crow like yokais that he hadn't seen before also descended from the sky to strengthen their group. He had not been spotted or recognized yet, most probably because of their focus understandably being elsewhere.

The enemy group of yokai looked to be a particular bad group, and they must have done something more than just demolish some parts of the interior of the main house judging from the uncharacteristically dark look Rikuo had on his face. The expression caught Harry off guard, for he had never seen it on the boy's face before. He frowned and directed hard emerald eyes that landed on a dark haired boy, older than him it seemed and dressed in another type of school uniform than the one he had seen Rikuo wearing when they usually met, who appeared to be their leader if you took into account of how he held himself.

"It looks like we meet again, Nura Rikuo." The leader said. "I came to give you my greetings, but it seems that Inugami was one step ahead of me." He added with a small smirk and the yokai that was standing next to him, his long tongue hanging from his mouth, gave a wide grin in response.

This elicited many cries of anger from their side that did nothing to perturb the other yokai.

Harry's frown deepened. Had Rikuo met this boy before? And he hadn't told him anything about it? The small feeling of betrayal washed over him before he could squash it down. He tried telling himself, despite the hurtful emotion, that the boy had no obligation to speak to him about everything that happened in his life or in the clan. It wasn't like trust could be formed within just a few days of meeting another person after all. There was no reason for him to be feeling sad about the lack of trust, wasn't it him that had pushed the other way, refusing to talk to the boy because of his own fear of rejection? He had no right to be feeling betrayed, because technically he hadn't been betrayed just excluded from receiving certain information. The thought didn't do much to sooth the emotion though.

During his inner turmoil the dark haired yokai had continued to speak to Rikuo, the young heir's stance stiff as he listened. Smaller yokais had started to collect on the top of the brick wall surrounding the mansion, observing the happenings with large, frightened and curious eyes. The moon shone down upon them and cast enough light for both parties to see each other clearly. Somewhere in-between Harry's own roiling thoughts he was able to catch a few sentences and words here and there in the opposing leader's rather one sided conversation. He caught the words 'Shikoku' and 'ruler of 88 demons', but it was only when Rikuo himself spoke up that he was tugged back into the present by the boy's harsh tone.

"Why," He began but stopped, pausing before continuing. "For what reason are you doing all of this?" The brown eyed boy didn't let his height hinder his prescence.

"Don't tell me, have you already forgotten?" The dark haired boy teased tauntingly, his hand coming to rest against the side of his face as his yellow eyes danced with mirth.

Rikuo's eyes widened in recollection, before they hardened again.

"I'm going to take over this town…" The dark haired boy continued, casting his eyes around their surroundings meaningfully. "By creating far more fear in the people here than you ever could, and make your Hyakki Yako inferior to mine. You're going to have to bow down to me." He said with an air that was disgusting in how his face split into this confident expression that was more like a grimace than anything else.

The unfamiliar boy's words sparked an immediate reaction from the members of the Nura Clan. He had insulted their leader and their honor would not let it slip by with them doing nothing about it. Both Kubinashi and Yuki-Onna, who were quicker than the others, burst forth from the group sending string and ice flying towards the opposing group. However their attacks never came even near their target as a large bird yokai breathed a line fire that stopped their attack without much effort that stunned the two at first, causing them to halt their forward motion.

"Stop it you two!" Rikuo called out, the two stopping but eyes glaring hatefully at their enemy.

The dark haired boy laughed then, causing his side of the group to split into smirks and angering the various members of the Nura Clan further. Angry growls echoed amongst the ranks of the strongest fighters of the clan but Rikuo, their leader, just eyed the laughing boy with a steely look. The laughter eventually died out and the boy let his eyes sweep across the many angry faces of the yokais there. Harry stilled when those yellow eyes came to him, passing, and then went back to Rikuo. Those yellow eyes reminded him too much of a snake's, reminded Harry too much of _him_. He shook his head to free it of those old ugly memories that threatened to break through his mental barriers he had erected to keep them at bay.

When he got the opportunity, as both leaders went back to staring each other down, Harry swept his own eyes over the other group, trying to gauge their intent towards them and whether they were planning to attack them again. They had once before and nothing pointed towards that they couldn't just be waiting for the right moment to do it again, or take their side's retaliation as an excuse to do so.

"I'll leave it for now. We'll meet shortly again, Nura Rikuo." The dark haired boy finally said, turning around and starting to walk away.

The others of his group followed in his lead and with a few last looks at the them, they disappeared like fog in the wind.

To his left Rikuo let out a sigh that he seemed to have kept inside.

"Rikuo-Sama!" Aotabo shouted. "We must go after them!"

"Not today." The boy said, giving the large yokai a look before turning completely around to face them. "Hari?" He let out surprised then when his eyes landed on the older boy.

As a whole the group turned their eyes as well on the wizard, who immediately felt uncomfortable with all the looks directed at him.

"When did you get there?" The boy's confused voice pierced through his mind.

"Heard the shouts and racket, then followed you guys after that wolf-like yokai." He said, momentarily forgetting his decision to keep the boy and them at a distance from him, and stuffing his hands in the pockets of his black cotton jacket. Harry's shy and concerned eyes landed on the shorter boy. "Are you okay?"

Rikuo looked pleasantly surprised and his face split into a smile.

"I'm fine." He said, ignoring Yuki-Onna's objections to Harry referring to him without the proper honorifics.

"That's, good." Harry said awkwardly, retreating back into the security of his closed off behavior, before making his way through the group and back to the mansion.

The yokai's stared at his hastily retreating back until Rikuo went into action, ordered them all to go back to work on the damage to the mansion or to fetch supplies.

Harry had gotten more than half way back to the guestroom where he was staying when Rikuo finally caught up to him, laying a hand on his shoulder to stop him. The raven haired boy flinched away from the touch, emerald eyes staring, almost scared, into confused brown eyes.

"I-" The older boy started, but turned on his heel and ran the rest of the way back the room.

As he came into the room his mind was in a jumbled mess. Why had he reacted like that? Because he was taken by surprise?

Rikuo was a good person, the hospitality he'd given Harry proved that and what did he do to show his gratitude? Absolutely nothing, in fact doing the opposite instead and pushing the other away. He wouldn't blame the boy now if he did decide that he had made a mistake.

"Hari!"

Harry swiveled around, looking like a deer caught in headlights, as Rikuo came into room with a concerned look on his face. The boy moved towards him and he backed away until his back came into contact with the wall.

"Don't!" He said hurriedly, sounding almost panicked.

The boy stopped his forward motion, looking confused as to what to do next. The raven haired boy shivered, sliding down the wall as his strength left him. His arms wound their way around his knees and he hid his face from sight against them.

"I'm…_filthy_…" He mumbled harshly, his voice muffled against the fabric but still laud enough for the other to hear.

"If you let me have your clothes, I can wash them." He heard the boy say but Harry shook his head vehemently.

"No! That's not what I meant. That's not what I…mean…" He trailed off, images of dead Deatheaters playing inside his head. Their unearthly screams as he tortured them in the very same way they had done to his friends, to his family. He'd thought his actions was justifiable in the middle of his vendetta, that they rightly deserved it but it had all only been his revenge, a gruesome revenge.

"Hari?" Rikuo's soft voice called to him.

Harry's head shot up (when had he gotten so close?), meeting brown orbs that look upon him with such sincere concern and want to help him. It made his insides cringe with guilt and shame. He didn't deserve this treatment. Not for what he had done.

The raven haired boy froze, not knowing what to do. He'd done his best to push the boy away shy of using his magic which he refused to use on the boy. But wait, he'd still had chances to leave, to leave them all and never come back, to continue to run. But no, he didn't want to run anymore, wasn't that why he had stayed here. He didn't want to sully the boy with his prescence but at the same time he couldn't bring himself to leave and, he'd made a vow, sworn on his magic to not betray the boy. He'd _sworn_ his loyalty. He would be just like _them_ if he broke it.

He moaned, head bent down, coming to the end of the road and still not knowing what to do.

Rikuo sat down beside him with an audible sigh.

"Hari." He said with an authority that made the older boy look up at him despite his reluctance. "You need to tell what's going on, because I can't help you if you don't."

He was torn, so torn in-between wanting not to tell the boy because of his fear and his honor of keeping his vow to the boy.

"You don't…remember?" He asked instead, catching the other slightly off guard.

"Remember?" Rikuo asked confused before recognition lit up in his eyes. He leaned forward, eyes worried, and grasped Harry's upper arms in his hands. He ignored the slight flinch the action caused from the other boy. "Did he, I, do something to you? Did he say something?"

"No."

"Please tell me what happened. Somehow I just can't remember."

Harry's emerald eyes stared at the boy for the longest time.

"He," He began. "Made me swear my loyalty, in exchange for protection."

That was not all he said, his conscience told him scathingly.

"Oh." Rikuo's facial expression eased up. "Oh, okay. That's good, really good." He said with a reassuring smile.

Harry did his best to ignore the words slinging from side to side inside his head.

'_You are a coward Harry Potter.' _

The repairing and reconstruction of the damaged parts of the mansion took the time of most of the yokais the next morning and continuing day. The knowledge that they could be attacked at any moment was hanging above everyone's head, lurking in the back of their mind all the time. Despite his subordinates concern and worry Rikuo kept a smile on his face to ease them as it did no one any good for the leader to openly show his worry. No matter if he felt it or not.

Some things had changed and amongst them it was that Rikuo had started visiting him again. One other change was that Harry didn't keep silent anymore, answering the small heir's little questions of if he was doing okay or Harry asking the boy mundane questions like how school had been that day. They boy's eyes had shone brightly the first he asked him that and he'd given a small smile in return, but the niggling feeling of guilt was always present in the lowest pit of his mind.

Another worry of his had sprung up from his inner thoughts, why had the other side of Rikuo not told his human part of what he had seen in Harry's mind? He didn't understand that, or for what reason the demon part would withhold the information from his other part. There was a reason for it. But what?

This was no good, this thinking was only frustrating him more and more trying to figure out the reason. If he truly wanted to know, he guessed, he had to go to the source. However as he understood it this side of Rikuo rarely came out and the boy had no way of controlling this side to come out whenever he wanted or needed it to.

Coming to a conclusion, Harry ventured outside his designated room. He spied down the hallway, searching for errant yokais and finding none, stepped outside. Effortlessly placing a 'notice-me-not' charm on himself he began his trek down the corridor, the sound of his boots muted with another voiceless spell. He passed a room where small yokais ran across the floor carrying floor boards and wood planks for other to use to rebuild damaged parts. He spared them a short moment, putting a feather light charm on a plank one particular small yokai was carrying (said yokai looking surprised at the sudden light burden at first before continuing its work like nothing happened), then continuing on his way. He was met with similar sights in the next few rooms; it seemed the wolf yokai had done far more damage than he first thought. Maybe he should offer his help; that is if they would let him.

It took him a while, the mansion was quite big and he'd never been in these parts, before he finally found what he was looking for. The sliding door wasn't completely closed and he could hear two voices coming from the room, Rikuo's and another yokai's.

He slid noiselessly into the room, hesitation for the smallest of moments when Rikuo looked up and stared straight through him with a quizzical look, before focusing on the small crow yokai he was talking to again. Relaxing again, he took up position against the far wall as he observed the young heir and the conversation going on. They were talking about the current situation, naturally, and discussing what future actions they should take to prepare themselves from a full-on attack from a certain Tamazuki. The leader of the enemy group, no doubt.

He waited until the yokai left, leaving him and Rikuo alone in the room. He watched the boy as a sad and tired look entered his features. The worries and troubles making them known clearly on the boys face as he thought he was alone.

It was true Harry hadn't known the boy for more than little over a week, but he felt it could've been so much longer. He wanted to help the boy, he just didn't want the boy to know about his past and that was the thing, wasn't it?

Eventually he sat down, continuing to watch and observe as Rikuo went over to do his homework. He tilted his head, emerald eyes calm as they went over everything that had happened up to that point in time. The scratching of the pen against the notebook brought back memories of late night study sessions spent with best friends. He found himself smiling softly, before it abruptly disappeared.

He felt himself move and apparate to Rikuo's side in a fraction of a second, thrusting his hands out in front of him and calling forth the strongest shield he knew of. Sharp teeth slammed into it, jaws snapping and saliva flying as the wolf's head pushed against the shield, before withdrawing for another attack.

"Hari?" He absently heard Rikuo call from behind him but his complete focus was on the intruding yokai.

He backed a step, making sure he had Rikuo secure behind his back. The wolf head growled menacingly and it's dim, yellow eyes, pierced into him with pure anger.

"Is Nura Rikuo unable to defend himself?"It growled loudly, jaws opening and shutting.

"Hari, it's too dangerous." Rikuo urged him from behind despite being stunned and the shimmering, almost see through shield that separated them from the yokai. "He's a yokai."

Raven haired wisped from the wind and force as the yokai tried and failed to get at them another time. Harry directed more power into the shield, renewing its strength.

"So?" He said and earned himself an outright howl from the intruding demon.

"Filthy human!" It hissed. "You dare think yourself superior to me?"

Harry neglected to answer, instead wondering what were keeping the others from coming to them.

Seeing the raven haired boy's look, the yokai hissed laughingly.

"You're waiting for your comrades? I'm afraid they're busy elsewhere."

"Rikuo." Harry whispered then, getting the smaller boy's attention. "Do you trust me?"

He held his breath as he waited.

"Yes." Came the whispered response and that was all Harry needed as he lowered one arm and held it out behind his back for Rikuo to take. Another warm hand clasped his own and he wasted no more time in apparating them both from the room.

They landed, or dropped, on the floor in the guestroom. Harry dropped down on one knee and helped the boy stand from his dizziness.

"What was that?" Rikuo said, holding a hand to his temple and swaying once before steadying himself.

"Apparating." Harry replied as he bent and put on his black dragon hide boots. "Direct transportation from one place to another."

"How…?" Rikuo started.

"Not now." Harry interrupted him.

Rikuo seemed ready to argue against that, but he ended up nodding in agreement.

"The others need our help." He said and looked at the raven haired boy meaningfully.

"You don't have any weapon." Harry said to him.

Rikuo frowned.

"What about you?" He asked.

"I don't need one." Harry replied.

"Does it have something to do with-" But stopped himself at the reminding look from Harry.

"Follow me, and stay close." Harry instructed him.

Rikuo, left with no other apparent choices, did as he was told.

The two made their way over the sliding doors leading outside into the back garden, Harry in the lead, as they tripped quickly but carefully down the path. Soon noises could be heard and they hurried their steps, or rather Rikuo quickened his pace into a run that had Harry running as well to keep close to him.

They came upon a scene of many yokais from both side engaged in large clash, attacking whoever from the opposing side they came close enough to. Swords, fire and ice and cries echoed as they collided with each other. One friendly yokai, Kurotabo, caught sight of them and immediately extracted himself as best as he could form the fight to come to his master's side.

"Waka!" He said breathlessly, his clothes sullied with dirt and what must have been blood. "Are you alright?" He asked, his eyes scrutinizing the young boy's attire.

"I'm fine." He assured his subordinate. "Hari helped me."

This caused Kurotabo to turn over to Harry, giving the wizard an astounded once-over.

"Is that so?" He asked half-heartedly, before turning back to Rikuo.

"Rikuo-Sama, I've spotted only a few yokais from the enemy's side. There is no sign of their leader Tamazuki."

"I understand." Rikuo let his eyes travel over the battle, seeing that their side had the upper hand. "Kurotabo, go back and help the others. Hari and I will search for any more intruders."

"I must protest, Rikuo-Sama! I can't leave you alone unprotected!"

Rikuo frowned and made to answer but he was cut off by another voice before he could do so.

"I'll protect him." Harry said with all the strength and confidence he could muster.

Something in the raven haired human's eyes made Kurotabo stay silent, leaving enough time for Rikuo to rush off with Harry in tow before he could get his bearings back together. The yokai frowned but went back to the fight, jumping in and distracting another enemy before they could sneak up upon one of their own. He would make sure this side was sufficiently covered before immediately going after the young master.

Rikuo was faster on his feet than he looked, Harry admitted, as they rushed across the grounds searching for foes and allies that needed their help. The boy jumped over a cluster of stones, then drawing his head towards the mansion when a human shape crashed in to his side and forcing him up against the stone wall surrounding the mansion and garden.

"Rikuo!" Harry called out in worry, upon recognizing the yokai as Inugami from the meeting yesterday.

He moved to help but the yokai swiftly clamped his clawed hand over the young heir's throat, cutting off the boy's air supply. He immediately halted, emerald eyes blazing with anger.

"Let him go."

"I have some questions for _you_ first." The yokai said, ignoring the bespectacled boy's struggling beneath him to get air back into his lungs.

"I said let him go!" Harry shouted.

The silver haired yokai didn't let Rikuo go, but he did loosen his grip, just a little, so that the boy was left gasping for whatever small amount of air he could get, which was just enough to keep him from passing out.

"What kind of human are you? You're not a yokai, I sense to demonic aura from you." Inugami asked, flashing his rows of sharp teeth.

Emerald eyes linked with brown. Harry eyed the young heir with sudden hesitation.

Seeing the interaction, the yokai began cackling with glee.

"Keeping secrets from our friends are we? What a bad friend you are."

Harry seethed at the words, but he could not argue against the accusation. He ran his options inside his head trying to come up with a way that would allow him to rescue Rikuo without serious harm.

It was then that Rikuo's eyes flashed red, his body changing form and hair growing from browns into black and white. The familiar form of Yokai Rikuo quickly replaced the smaller stature of the boy. Inugami was shocked enough by the sudden change that he loosened his grip enough for Rikuo to first slam an elbow in the yokai's face and then a kick to the stomach, sending the silver haired yokai skidding across the ground from the blow.

Inugami rose up, his back hunched over as he wiped away a trail of blood from his mouth.

"So you finally appear." He said with a smirk.

Rikuo neglected to give the yokai a reply, instead turning towards the wizard with a cocky grin.

"We meet again, Wizard."

Inugami frowned at both being ignored and at the strange term the third heir had used to refer to the strange human.

Harry met red eyes head on with a firmness he surprised himself with.

"I thank you for protecting me earlier. You have truly proved your loyalty." Rikuo said and continued. "However I don't approve of being spied upon." He added with a stern and warning tone.

Harry shook himself out of his shock, feeling his cheeks tint, and bowed his head.

Rikuo nodded once, before directing his attention back to the offending yokai. His eyes latched onto the wolf demon.

"You will leave this place and give your master this message. Either he comes to me personally without sending his lackeys, or I will come to him."

The yokai's answer was to let out an angry growl, as he morphed into a wolf's head and went straight for Rikuo. The heir managed to barely dodge the first attack, having been forced to use his arm to ward of the other yokai in lack of his katana. The wolf's teeth had caused a large and bloody gash on his upper arm, his kimono sleeve ripped open.

Rikuo glared at the yokai as it turned around in the air and went for another attack. An attack which never came since the yokai was struck mid-air by a blinding green light. The body fell heavily onto the ground and did not move. The silence stretched as the body remained still.

Yokai Rikuo raised neutral eyes from the dead yokai and focused them on Harry's frozen form. Standing with his right hand outstretched with a wide eyed look, the raven haired wizard was shocked by what he had just done. No matter it had been an enemy, he hadn't had to kill him. Why couldn't he just have stunned or paralyzed the yokai? Why was the first spell he thought of the death spell? Had he really turned into a demon?

Unbeknownst to himself, Harry's hand started shaking. He grabbed his one hand with the other to stop it from doing so but it did little, only restraining it. He was vaguely aware of Rikuo walking towards him but he was too preoccupied with his own thoughts. He had just taken another life, quite easily in fact, and it hadn't bothered him as much as he thought it would. How was this different from all the other times when he had taken another person's life?

A hand was placed above his two closed ones. Emerald eyes turned upwards, staring into red orbs that somehow no longer had him thinking _him_ any longer. He'd first been afraid of those red eyes but now he wasn't. To his surprise the shaking stopped and he frowned confusedly.

"You have proven yourself once more. I thank you." Rikuo said pressing Harry's hand's shortly with his own before letting go.

"I…" He started but didn't quite know how to finish the sentence. He breathed in harshly. "He would hate me. I'm a demon." He said, his shame and guilt rushing forward and clouding his eyes.

When the wizard didn't say anything more, the yokai sighed, drawing the other's attention. Harry watched the yokai for a moment before his eyes caught sight of the bleeding wound. He parted his hands, instead raising them over the wound and without waiting for an invitation automatically sent a silent healing spell through the wound. The wound knitted itself together, leaving only unblemished skin and leftover blood.

Rikuo blinked twice at the show of magic, silently impressed for a second time in a short amount of time.

Harry's hands fell slowly to his sides, waiting for the other's reaction, but it was not the reaction he had expected.

"What's wrong with being a demon?"

Emerald eyes focused on red ones again, taking in the calm expression that the third heir expressed. He'd never thought about it in that perspective, and hadn't he been insulting the yokai by thinking becoming a demon to be so gruesome? But the shame and guilt, they were still there and he couldn't ever imagine them just suddenly go away.

"You are scared that he will not accept you knowing your past." Rikuo said then, causing the wizard to jerk.

He didn't know what to say to that. It was the truth.

"Have you no faith in him, in me?" The yokai continued.

"That's!" Harry began, frowned and started again. "I do, but…"

"Then what is the problem?"

What was the problem? Really?

The yokai sighed and then it was the human part of Rikuo that was standing before him. It stunned him at first, caught unawares by the change and that his eyes met up with brown ones with the change in height.

"Rikuo."

"You're an idiot, you know that right?" The boy said, sighing and shaking his head. "I heard everything from him."

The raven haired boy stilled with that revelation.

"What made you think I would hate you because of your past? You do know that I've grown up with demons?" The boy said half berating and laughed softly. "Is that why you wouldn't talk to me?"

"Yes." He admitted.

"You are an idiot."Rikuo said, shaking his head again.

He turned around, leaving the raven haired boy standing as he walked back to the mansion. When he heard no following footsteps, he threw a look over his shoulder.

"The others might still need our help."

Watching the boy's retreating back, Harry did the first thing that entered his mind; he let a, true, smile shine through.

"Come on!" Rikuo called impatiently, waving a hand as a gesture for the older boy to follow.

The wizard hid his smile, jogging to catch up with the boy, only his emerald eyes showing the traces of it in their glowing depths.

**FIN**

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**AN: **I say the ending is so-so. Not really bad, but also not really great. I did have a plan when I started writing this sequel, however I didn't completely follow that plan, which I usually don't anyways with expected various results. This one was okay, I guess. Well, at least I managed a decent story length. :shrugs: /Lin


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